IP NEWS:SOEI Patent & Law Firm

To file a design application claiming priority under the Paris Convention, the applicant must prepare: (1) drawings, (2) information on the article to which the design is applied, (3) information on the basic application, and (4) information on the applicant(s) and the designer(s). We would like to explain briefly on the details as follows:

(1) Drawings
Front view, rear view, top plan view, bottom plan view, right side view and left side view must be submitted. In addition to these six views, perspective view, sectional view and view showing the actual use of an article may be submitted. Note that the scale and shape of each view must agree with each other under the Japanese practice. Note that the six views and perspective view in the drawings or photographs must show the article on a plain background.

(2) Information on the article to which the design is applied
The article to which the design is applied must be identified, with a brief explanation on the function of the article. If the article is new, a brief explanation of the article, such as the purpose of use and the function of the article in particular, must be provided.

(3) Information on the basic application
The name of the country, filing date and application number must be provided. A certified copy of the priority document must be filed with the JPO within three months of the Japanese filing date.

(4) Information on the applicant(s) and the designer(s)
The name and address of the applicant(s) and the designer(s) must be provided.

Note that the JPO does not accept applications containing only the perspective view. The applicants must submit six views indicated above. If you are considering of filing an application in Japan, we highly recommend submitting six drawings for the basic application.